Guido interviewed John Hemming and came away impressed with the sharper than average MP. So it comes as no surprise that he has spotted a way to save the NHS £500 million and balance the books at a stroke.

The LibDem MP has noticed that when drugs go off patent the generic alternatives become available for a fraction of the old rip-off price. Looking at only three drugs, he has identified savings of £500m, but there are plenty more Big Pharma rip-offs. If the NHS is looking to save money, sourcing drugs more cheaply is a good place to start.

Coincidentally, Pfizer, the most rapacious profitable pharmaceutical corporation in the world, recently gave £40,000 to Progress, the ultra-Blairite faction organising operation. That should help keep this eminently sensible policy off Blair’s reform agenda.